Page 14 of Alastair

“A good day, he says,” Castor muttered. “He still looks like a prick with a stick stuck up his—”

“Knock it off, Cas,” Alastair said, stepping off the front porch. In the sun, his pale blond hair looked silver, and his eyes reminded me of a glistening spring, like the one that ran through the mountain beside my home—a sparkling blue with lighter shards of blue bursting from the pupils.

My heart thudded in my chest. And gods, how I cursed those heavy beats.

“Echo Bay is being attacked?” My voice remained steady. I had forced away the little bit of emotion that had momentarily attempted to surface.

Alastair nodded. “We’ve received reports of walking corpses, mainly keeping to the outskirts of town. No doubt it’s Purah’s handiwork. So far, there have been two human casualties. Hikers. Konnar and his coven acted right away and are keeping the threat contained for now.”

“Doesn’t this Purah bastard have, like, an insane amount of power?” Baxter asked. “When the attacks happened earlier this year, big cities all over the world saw a goddamn zombie uprising. In no time at all, the panic among mortals spread like wildfire. Why is he only attacking Echo Bay?”

“To get our attention,” Alastair said.

At the same time, I had said, “Because his intent is to lure you there.”

Alastair and I exchanged a look. He averted his gaze first, though I caught a slight curve to his lips. Barely noticeable, but it was there. Knowing him, he was proud he’d come to the same conclusion as me.

“Okay.” Galen cracked his knuckles. “He wants a fight? Then let’s make his wish come true.”

“You’d be playing right into the enemy’s hands,” I told him. “Purah, or should I say Lucifer, is hitting you close to the chest. Baiting you. It’s a trap. The moment you step foot there, you’ll be swarmed by his forces.”

“So?” Galen snarled. “Echo Bay is our home. I refuse to stand by and do nothing while it’s being attacked.”

“I’m with Galen on this one,” Castor said. “Trap or not, we have to help.”

My muscles ached from combat training, but not nearly as much as my head did from dealing with their nonsense.

“I’m inclined to agree,” Alastair said, furrowing his brow. “We can’t ignore this, but it’s unwise for all of us to go. Which is why I’ll go alone.”

“Out of the question,” I responded.

“It’s not your decision.” Alastair clenched his jaw—worked it back and forth, as if grinding his teeth. A nasty habit he’d picked up over the years when he was deep in thought. Or when irritated at me. “If I choose to go, you can’t stop me.”

Damn his arrogance.

Perhaps Michael and the other archangels had a point. The boys needed more of an active guiding hand, now more than ever. Alastair had learned so much over the years and excelled in his abilities as a strategist. He could predict an enemy’s movements before they even made them. However, Pride battled that logical side of his brain sometimes, and thus, caused him to make foolish decisions.

Like now.

I stepped toward him. “Forget your ego for a moment and use your head.”

“My ego has nothing to do with this.”

That throbbing in my temple worsened. “It haseverythingto do with this, Alastair. The enemy is using Pride against you. By attacking Echo Bay, they knew you’d take it personally. Clearly, they were correct. And whether all of you go or only you, Lucifer gets what he wants. You.”

Gods, I loathed the way his eyes lit up at my words. That light was vanquished just as quickly, but its existence grated on my nerves. Pride fed off the attention.

“In times of war, sacrifices need to be made,” Alastair said. “Is it not better for the two generals of warring nations to face each other one-on-one as opposed to their armies clashing, resulting in many unnecessary deaths? If I can speak to Lucifer, perhaps I—”

“Listen to yourself!” The words erupted from me in a harsh snarl, and I fought the urge to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense into him, the damned stubborn, arrogant Nephilim. “Speaking with Lucifer? What do you believe will happen, that he will suddenly see the error of his ways and call off his army?”

“Of course not, but—”

“We are passed the point of resolving this conflict with words,” I said. “If you go to Echo Bay, you’ll be risking not only your life but the lives of everyone you hold dear. The lives of every human should Lucifer be victorious in this war. He’ll either capture you in an attempt to convince you to switch allegiances or kill you. Both of which would be catastrophic.”

I noticed the moment Pride released Alastair from its clutches. Saw the spark of truth in his eyes, that he’d been so close to allowing his sin to consume him. “What do you suggest we do, then?”

“You said the vampire and his coven have the threat handled for now?”